On Side in particular, hosted by Inverdale, is a thrifty way for the BBC to show that, while it haemorrhages sporting rights, it still has all the aces when it comes to sporting broadcasters. Before you start redecorating, test surfaces with a Lead Test kit from McDougall Rose decorators' suppliers (pounds 14.99 for 20 tests) or a Lead Check kit from B&Q (pounds 2.89 for two tests). "It wasn't just the cost, although there was no question of replacing them, it was the sheer audacity and callousness of the people who took them". Garden sheds are a very popular target with burglars, and an area of security often overlooked, even by people who are security conscious about the house itself.However, it is precisely because most burglars are essentially opportunist, homing in on the weakest link in a property's security, that much that can be done to strengthen a property's defences - and deter burglars. Strong, secure doors with adequate locks (see box) are the first line of defence.
Over half of all burglaries involve the thief gaining access from the back, so back doors and windows need at least as much attention as the front entrance. But security awareness and cooperation is equally vital - however advanced the specifications of the locking system a nifty thief can rapidly burgle several flats in one property given just one communal entrance carelessly left undone.If you are going away, asking neighbours to check on the property. Leaving lights on during the evening can help, although city life often offers few opportunities for relying on neighbours given that you may not even know them. Consider letting friends house-sit - a solution that many urban dwellers are increasingly adopting.No property is immune from the threat of burglary, but, as many of those who experience a burglary realise in retrospect, there is usually scope for making it more difficult for a would-be burglar to get the chance to spoil what should be nothing less than a joyful time..
Your local crime prevention officer can give detailed advice on your particular type of property, as well as on additional devices such as alarms and lights. These are key ways of beefing up the main points of entry for burglars: The ideal security for a (wooden) front door is an automatic deadlocking rim lock, one third from the top of your front door, together with a mortice deadlock to British Standard 3621, or the equivalent European Standard EN12209 one third from the bottom (always avoiding construction joints). Back doors should be fitted with a five-lever, two-bolt mortice sash lock.Remember that quality locks are only as strong as the door and frames they are attached to, so consider replacing worn or flimsy doors.If you live in a property with a communal entry, fire regulations need to take precedence, so consult a fire officer as well as a crime prevention officer.Whether you have glazing on front, back or French doors, consider replacing ordinary glass with laminated glass, "an effective deterrent to all but the most determined burglar", according to the Glass and Glazing Federation, 0171 403 7177, which can advise on ways to improve overall window security. But is the talk that good? There is a simple reason for the recovery of the chat show: talk is cheap, even after you've paid the host's salary and constructed a set to look like an ad agency crossed with a dentist's waiting-room. This autumn there have been series fronted by Clive Anderson, John Inverdale, the Scottish pairing of Ally McCoist and Fred McAuley, Jeremy Clarkson, Des O'Connor, Ian Wright, Chris Evans, Melinda Messenger, Mariella Frostrup and, until his contract expires at the end of this year, Jack Docherty It's good to talk.
In a volatile market its stock value has risen so sharply in the past year that we're approaching a situation of parity: there are now almost as many chat show hosts as there are chat show guests. Parity meant that pounds 1 would end up having the exchange value of $1. The unthinkable also seems to be happening to the currency of the chat show. There was a time in the 1980s when sterling sank through the floor and economists issued dire predictions of something called parity. well, they'll have to pray for a British guest star and see what happens.. There's nothing worse than friends who outstay their welcome. There should certainly be another series - which in itself adds up to more episodes than most sitcoms on this side of the Atlantic ever have - but at the end of that ...
Not that they were bad, but they did indicate how a programme which has sometimes been perfect could become slapdash and shoddy. David Schwimmer, who plays Ross, is the actor Woody Allen should cast in whichever roles he's too old for. And Jennifer Aniston has proven in this series, as Rachel has grown increasingly frantic, that she could carry a sitcom on her own when Friends finishes And maybe that should be sooner rather than later Friday's episodes had me worried. Which reminds me, why didn't we see his son at the wedding?Still, sub-standard Friends is of a higher standard than almost any of our current sitcoms.